


The Silence

by Lothiriel84



Series: These words are all we have (We'll be talking) [7]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Acceptance, Agender Character, Aromantic, Gen, MJN Air Is A Family, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26011939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: Tell me a piece of your historyThat you're proud to call your own
Relationships: Arthur Shappey/Tiffy, Martin Crieff/Theresa of Liechtenstein
Series: These words are all we have (We'll be talking) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1546090
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10
Collections: Project Theresa (Theresa Takeover 2016)





	The Silence

Eventually, she finds a quiet spot in the rose garden, lets herself slump onto the meadow, not quite caring that she’ll probably get stains all over her stupidly frilly dress. She promised herself she was going to be on her best behaviour – Arthur deserved as much, what with the way he looked up to Martin as well as the rest of his little found family – and she thought she was managing pretty well, until that stupid bouquet landed right at her feet, and she just couldn’t take it anymore.

The worst part of it was that she snapped at _Arthur_ of all people – Arthur, the one person who’d accepted her completely for who she was right from the start, and the most considerate human being she’d ever met, let alone having the good fortune to call her partner. And there she is now, scrunched up between the rosebeds, wishing she would just wake up to find this was nothing but a bad dream.

“Tiffany?” the distinctive voice comes from somewhere behind her, followed by the soft crunching of footsteps on gravel. “Are you all right?”

Reluctantly, she looks up to meet Theresa’s concerned gaze – great, now she’s apparently succeeded not only in upsetting the man she cares about, but the actual Princess of Liechtenstein, and on her wedding day on top of that. Her mother would definitely have a thing – or twenty – to say, if she could see her right now.

“It’s Tiffy,” she corrects her, more out of habit than anything else. She hates her first name, she truly does, but this isn’t the way to talk to royalty, no matter how unbothered by protocol Theresa is. “And I’m sorry for making a scene, I knew I shouldn’t have come.”

“Not a big fan of weddings, I take it,” Theresa’s tone of voice is nothing but understanding, and she swallows down a fresh stab of guilt – this is supposed to be the happy couple’s special day, not one to be ruined by your husband’s friend’s plus one throwing a temper tantrum right in the middle of the celebrations. Tiffy almost flinches when the bride doesn’t seem to hesitate to bunch up the train of her dress and sit down on the grass beside her.

“I don’t suppose you’ve met Eika, my youngest sibling after Maxi. They absolutely loathed the prospect of our family forcing them to parade around all day in a dress, so I stepped in and threatened all of our aunts and uncles to permanently banish them from the country if they dared to do so much as breathe a word on Eike’s choice of attire, let alone refer to them using anything but their preferred pronouns.”

“Oh,” Tiffy exhales, oddly touched that Theresa has decided to share this story with her of all people. “So, they’re genderqueer, I take it?”

“I believe they currently identify as agender,” Theresa nods easily. “I made sure they understand they can always let me know if either their identity or their pronouns change at any time.”

Tiffy twists at the thin white metal band on her finger. “And how do they feel about it? Knowing that they’re agender, I mean.”

“If memory serves me right, they once told me it’s not so much a matter of being proud of who you are as it is about the freedom of not having to hide your true self all the time.”

That makes sense, she supposes – she spent ages herself fighting for her right to have her own identity acknowledged by the people around her, and yet, somehow, there are times when she wishes she could be different, not least of all for Arthur’s sake.

“I’m glad you and Martin found each other, I truly am,” she speaks at length, as if physically extracting the words still lodged somewhere in her throat. “And I’m not generally so lacking in empathy as to be distressed by someone else’s happiness. It just gets too much, sometimes – how romantic love is seen as the norm, and if you can’t experience it, then there must be something wrong with you. I know I’m not – broken, not as such, but it gets hard to remember it when everyone around you is celebrating romance as the highest possible achievement in one’s life.”

“You did notice Carolyn threaten Herc to serve the divorce papers on him if he dared so much as reach for her hand during the ceremony, yes?”

That gets a laugh out of her at last. “I did – though we both know the mighty Alpha Dog’s bark is way worse than her bite.”

“I wouldn’t tell that to her face if I were you, but yes,” Theresa smiles, and makes to get up. “Now, you’re more than welcome to sit here for as long as you like, but I did promise I would let Arthur know if you were all right, and I’m a woman of my word.”

“God, I was horrible to him for no reason,” she sighs, clambering to her feet to help Theresa untangle her dress. “I honestly don’t know why he puts up with me sometimes.”

“You know, I don’t remember ever seeing Arthur as happy as he is when he’s in your company, and that’s really saying something.”

“I won’t marry him,” she still feels the need to point out, as if confessing to some unspeakable crime. “In some ways, I wish I could be persuaded to, but it just – doesn’t feel right, no matter how I try to look at it.”

Theresa smoothes at the front of her gown, then reaches over to adjust the strap of Tiffy’s dress. “Then don’t. This isn’t the Middle Ages, after all. And from what I know of Arthur, I’m pretty sure he won’t mind either way.”

Tiffy stops to really look at her, her commanding yet unintimidating presence oddly reassuring for some reason. “You truly are a remarkable woman, Theresa.”

“Likewise. Do not ever let anyone try and put you down.”

With that, they fall into step as they head towards the castle, back to where the wedding reception is only just getting started. “Thank you,” she tells her earnestly, briefly squeezing Theresa’s hand before disappearing into the crowd in search of her other not-a-half.


End file.
